Observation: Porter Fork

Observation Date
1/3/2021
Observer Name
Fink
Region
Salt Lake » Mill Creek Canyon » Porter Fork
Location Name or Route
Main Porter Fork
Red Flags
Red Flags
Wind Loading
Poor Snowpack Structure
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Same
Problem #1 Comments
Lots of skiing happening on Northerly aspects in main Porter, including tracks below steep slopes and into obvious terrain traps. Didn't see any recent avalanche activity, which I think is because of limited HS and snow atop the persistent basal facets. Of note, even on a small North facing run that had been skied out wall to wall, there were still facets underneath the ski tracks. Skier compaction isn't even enough to solve the problem.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Trend
Increasing Danger
Problem #2 Comments
New snow was being drifted by winds even down below the ridges, turning the somewhat wet new precip into a fairly cohesive little slab with a bit of cracking at the ski tips despite new snow height of only 2-3 cm. I was a fair way down from the ridge and imagine that this is a more serious issue at the ridgetop.
Comments
Travel up road->luge->main porter. Skies obscured with mild precip rates + occasional squalls. Wet and rimed stellars were slowly accumulating with new snow totals around 3-4 cm by 15:30. On North facing terrain around 8400' HS was around 30 cm with a small density inversion within the new snow. New snow + last storm sit atop a pair of 4f crusts that sandwich F facets and sit atop depth hoar, both of which are large grains without cohesion or any rounding to the bare eye. Load seems insufficient to activate this ugly icecream sandwich but the setup is ripe and ready for more load.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate
Coordinates